President Donald Trump on Thursday postponed the signing of an executive order on artificial intelligence. The signing ceremony had been scheduled for Thursday afternoon and was expected to include CEOs of leading AI companies.
According to reporting by Semafor and Reuters, the planned ceremony was called off. In remarks to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said: “I think this would stand in the way of... you know, us leading China and everyone else. I don't want to do anything that would jeopardize that advantage.” The president did not specify which provisions he found objectionable.
Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the draft order would have established a voluntary framework for AI developers to consult with the U.S. government before publicly deploying advanced models. The aim of such pre-release consultation was to address potential safety and regulatory concerns while avoiding mandatory constraints that might hinder innovation.
Representatives of the technology industry have expressed concern that stricter rules could reduce the sector’s profitability, particularly if regulations slow the market introduction of new models or force companies to alter system behavior for safety reasons. At the same time, cybersecurity experts interviewed by Reuters said that fears of unrestricted hacking may be overstated.
The draft order would also have directed the government to deploy advanced AI models to strengthen cybersecurity across federal systems. The same technologies were intended to bolster protections for critical infrastructure such as banks and hospitals.
Names mentioned in coverage of the planned event include Elon Musk, founder of xAI; Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta; and David Sacks, a former adviser to Trump. Reporters say their involvement played a role in the decision to suspend the signing.
Concerns about the cybersecurity risks posed by powerful new AI systems are growing within both government and the private sector. Anthropic warned that its Mythos model might be capable of amplifying complex cyberattacks, though experts differ on how acute that threat is in practice.
Taken together, the administration’s move reflects strategic, security and industry economic considerations. Based on reporting from Reuters and Semafor, the legal and operational details of the order remain unsettled and no new signing date has been announced.
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Sources: Semafor, Reuters. Image used is illustrative.
